Emma Peridot has gone through the ultimate metamorphosis. When she initially changed her stage name a few years back, she was used to playing a certain genre (acoustic-based pop) and sticking to what was comfortable. But then came a career shift – she wanted to delve into a new phase of twisty pop music, and thus, Emma Peridot was born. Now, the Indianapolis-based vocalist and songwriter is accustomed to experimentation, and continues to liberate herself through each new release. She remains genre-less, incorporating a wide range of pop and rock elements into each one of her songs, but each contains the same root: Emma Peridot. She is the base, and really, that’s the only thing she needs. 

 

New listeners might not know that Emma Peridot isn’t your real name, and that you used to go by a different stage name. What prompted the change? 

Yes! I used to just go by my legal name. E.M.M.A. is actually the first initial of everyone in my immediate family and Peridot is my birthstone. The reason for taking on a stage name was mostly just to mark a growth point in my career. Everything that I had released prior was kind of experimental; figuring out what I wanted my sound to be and who I was as an artist. Once I felt like I had all of that nailed down and I was ready to take my music career more seriously than ever before, a stage name felt like a new and improved reintroduction to the world.

 

Was it a natural shift? 

It actually was! All I really did was make an Instagram post about the rebrand and start releasing singles under the new moniker. I also did an interview with Tuned Up where I explained it a bit more. But people got it right away!

 

How would you say your sound changed when your name did? 

It changed a lot! The music I used to release was pretty much acoustic pop, like Shawn Mendes, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift type stuff. But when I rebranded it became much more edgy, introducing elements of electronic and rock, and my image followed suit with this almost pop-punk attitude of being authentic and not caring about anything negative anyone has to say.

 

You’ve been releasing a steady flow of singles, although you did release an EP in 2020 as well. Which route do you feel is best for you in the streaming era – singles or EPs?

As much as I hate to say it, because I personally really enjoy consuming full bodies of work like EPs or albums from front to back, I feel like singles are the best route in the streaming era. Even the EP I did in 2020, every song except one had been released as a single leading up to it, so it was more like a compilation EP. I just feel like so much of music discovery these days is through playlists and TikToks, which of course usually only promote one song at a time. But I also might just say “whatever” at some point and drop a full EP or album! 

 

Your most recent single release, “Could’ve Been,” really feels like you. Do you feel like your sound continues to grow with you as a human? 

Totally! Especially after the COVID years and having to stay at home; I took that as an opportunity to listen to more music, discover new artists that inspire me, and work on my music production skills. I actually took part in a 6 month audio engineering/music production program at a local recording studio during lockdown, and I’m now executive producing most of my new music. Between being more hands on in the creation process, discovering new artists that are influencing my songwriting now, and just continuing to grow as a person and having new experiences, my sound is constantly evolving!

 

Your lyrics are incredibly unfiltered, which is quite rare in unsigned artists. Is being unfiltered natural for you, or do you find that you struggle with openness? 

It definitely can be nerve-wracking at times to be so open and vulnerable, but from the beginning it’s been super important to me to do so. For me, the whole purpose of making music is to document my life experiences through art and hope that other people will hear it and connect with it. Life is full of ups and downs and new experiences, it’s a lifelong journey, and I just want to be open and honest and document that journey in the hopes that I can help not only myself, but others along the way.

 

As an LGBTQ+ artist, you’ve been very open about resonating with those who feel misunderstood. Was this always a goal for you throughout your career so far? 

Yes, 100%! In some ways, I think it was the reason I even started making music to begin with. It’s definitely the reason why authenticity and being yourself is so central to my artist brand! One of my biggest aspirations from the beginning has been to be the kind of role model that I wish I would’ve had more of when I was young and just coming to terms with my own sexuality. Having more WLW music to listen to at that time would’ve made me feel so supported. The world has come a pretty long way since that time like 12 or 13 years ago; there are so many more LGBTQIA+ artists now, which is amazing! I just want to be a part of that movement and keep the world moving forward.

 

I feel like you aren’t tied to one specific genre, or even realm. I won’t ask you to ‘describe’ your sound, but as you navigate through songwriting, do you find that settling on a genre doesn’t hold much importance? 

Totally! Over the last couple years I’ve found myself caring less and less about feeling constrained to one genre. For the longest time I felt so torn between going fully electropop or fully pop rock, but in this age I just think that’s unnecessary. Artists are blending genres left and right! Could’ve Been was definitely more electronic and disco-pop influenced, but the next song I’m working on (which will come out in Late May or Early June) is totally different, much more indie-pop/rock. I’m just making music that I like and not worrying about it! It’s a liberating feeling.

 

Anything to tease? 

My next single will be coming out in Late May or Early June, and I’m kicking off my summer/fall shows all around the Midwest on April 30th in Grand Rapids, MI. Following me on social media for more info soon!

 

Keep up with Emma Peridot: 

Website: https://www.itsemmaperidot.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsemmaperidot/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsemmaperidot 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsemmaperidot

Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsemmaperidot

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4TbDqfSyufp5WvqlOn3IJR?si=-St72v_3R9y19hfwcdAR8w

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/emma-peridot/1460486541

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EmmaPeridot